


One Last Trip

by CoryFireLion



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Mutants, Original Character(s), Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24600298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoryFireLion/pseuds/CoryFireLion
Summary: Carrie Staton, a 100 trip veteran of Ground Zero, returns to the wasteland once more, for one last trip.
Relationships: Carrie Staton/Mary "May" Addams
Comments: 17
Kudos: 3





	1. The Begining of the End

**Author's Note:**

  * For [natsora](https://archiveofourown.org/users/natsora/gifts).



It was just one more job. The _last_ job. The silence of the place was interrupted by the echo of her steps. No one was nearby, nor was it surprising. Even Tanks like her would think twice about following that route. But she wasn’t just any Tank, and the pay was good, _too_ good to pass up. _Just one more._

Buildings, businesses, sidewalks and tracks completely deteriorated by time and the damage that the explosion inflicted on them remained behind her as soon as she turned the next corner. Carrie stopped, the pistons in her suit releasing some air as she stopped moving. Staring at the inhospitable wasteland, she sighed. She had been walking for two days, one of them in the destroyed city, and now she had reached its limit, having in front of her the overwhelming image of the Crater known as Ground Zero.

Signs stood delimiting the damn place, warnings could be read on them. "NO MACHINES. ZONE WITHOUT ENERGY. NO SIGNAL ZONE.” Nor was it like warnings were needed. For years, no one dared to enter Ground Zero, unless you know how to cross it, just being in the vicinity of the city was suicide. A warm and green mist emanated from the area, indicating the toxicity of the air, spreading throughout the entire city, becoming completely dense once the fence was past, making life of any kind impossible… or so he would have liked to think.

She walked over to the posters, looking at the one who really mattered today. A huge plank, which could well be the wall of some construction, with a twisted image painted on it. Carrie swallowed hard. Behind that gas curtain, there was _life_ , if it could be called life to those... things. _Mutants_ , that was the correct word for those beings. A chill ran down her spine as the memory of her last encounter with one of them passed before her eyes. Even with the protection of her suit and the augments that came with the contracts, facing the mutants had left her fair share of scars, and if she could, this time she would prefer not to take a farewell memory. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Just one more.

It was not the first time that she had stopped in front of those posters. Every time Carrie passed by, she stopped to plan her movements well. One doesn’t go through hell so many times being impulsive. She always had a plan. She had already passed through this place conserving herself in one piece. This time it would be no different. And most importantly, this time would be the last.

She walked to her usual place, a destroyed building, which in its good days appeared to be a donut shop, of which only the first and second floors remained standing. The sound of the bell on entering always seemed the most pleasant to hear. In a place where everything is in complete silence, a little sound was appreciated. Smiling, she remembered the first time she had opened that door, how her heart almost stopped at the sudden sound. And now she found the curious clink of the most welcoming. It was incredible how the place had remained almost intact despite being so close to the crater area, all the furniture was in almost perfect condition, except for the glass and porcelain things, which were undone, undoubtedly by effect of the explosion.

A thick layer of dust covered everything, becoming more evident when she started up the stairs. The air released from the pistons at each step kicked up a small cloud of dust, obscuring the vision on the narrow staircase, but it didn't matter. Carrie had walked those stairs many times in the past ten years. Even with the missing steps, she could climb it with her eyes closed. The second floor of the store was as it had been left. Empty except for a couple of tables and the couch in the corner. At one of the tables was her suit repair kit, always doing a full check of the suit's condition before crossing. It was impossible to take the tools to Ground Zero, too much weight, if you wanted to make the trip fast, the ideal was to travel light. At the other table, a small collection of objects adorned it. Little toys, commemorative magnets, curious keychains. _Wonderful trinkets_ , that's how she saw them. Each of them indicated a round trip. A mission accomplished. A victory. One more day surviving.

"Open compartment L1." The compartment in her right leg opened, releasing a small cloth bag.

One by one, she began to keep each memory of her travels, taking them delicately, wrapping the most fragile with a little cloth, appreciating the detail of each one, reliving each of her trips since she began this work. Sighing, she looked at the table, now empty. There were marks of where each of the objects had been, small dust-free spaces across the surface. She smiled slightly. There were over a hundred marks. Nothing bad. Although the job she had wasn’t one of the best, she had done it for a considerable number of years. Returning so many times from that corrupt Zone was not a small achievement, knowing that she was good at what she did made her feel a little proud. Only a little, after all, the success of the mission wasn’t only her thing, she had help. The tanks that boasted of their success disappeared on their next trip, most likely because their ego and confidence blinded their judgment, and probably they ignored their M. A. She wasn't going to let that happen to her. _Just one more_.

A sound in her ear alerted her senses, but she immediately relaxed. Laughing a little, she gently placed the bag on the side of the couch and let herself dropped into it, raising a small cloud of dust. A stab of pain in the lower part of her back made her regret doing it. Hissing, she settled herself so that she didn't lean on it. _I'm not what I used to be, huh?_

"Answer." The sound stopped and after a few moments a voice was heard.

"Tank 0370-CS, status report." She muffled a laugh, knowing that it was part of the protocol and that she should answer as faster as possible. Clearing her throat, she replied.

“Tank 0370-CS, reporting. I'm at the Beta point, entering Ground Zero. All in order."

"Confirming." A high-pitched sound rang out inside the suit for a few seconds and it stopped. Carrie sighed and commented.

"It's good to hear you May." On the other side of the communicator there was a laugh. _May_ wasn’t her name. Officially, those who spoke behind the communicator were called M.A. or Monitoring Assistants. But Carrie had known this M.A. since her first assignment and the trust between them was… comforting. And it was one of the few reasons she found to slip back into the suit. Hearing her voice was a balm for the silence that reigned in the missions, even if only two times a day, each of those moments were highly appreciated by her.

“What’s up, Carrie? Let me check your health status and the status of the augments. Get in position."

"Ugggh. Couldn't we skip that part and move on to planning-? ”

“Carrie. Get in position." The tone of voice suggested that it was not a good idea to continue forcing her luck. May was sweet and funny, but she had no patience, especially for health checkups, since she knew that when Carrie sought to evade them, there were even more reasons to do them. It wasn't like she could do something to her. But she was not going to allow herself to anger her only company on the trip. Concealing a whimper with a hoarse voice, she stood up and spread her arms wide.

"Ready whenever you want."

Again the suit made a sound but with another tone and intensity. Carrie felt the suit tighten on her, compressing her to analyze every aspect of her physical condition. Each wound, each scar, each welded and healing bone, nothing escaped the analysis. Old wounds, nothing at ease with the pressure exerted on them began to puncture her skin, while the healed broken bones also played their part in the claim of her body against the checkup. "Almost done." she heard in her ear. _I really hope so._ Her lower back was on fire, the new wound that accompanied the others was not healed enough to be receiving so much pressure. Please don't tore the stitches. And it's over. The tension of the suit was released and everything stopped hurting, except of course, the wound on her back.

Stretching to finish releasing the tension in her body, Carrie listened as May began to review the data the suit had just sent, small murmurs of displeasure escaping her every few keystrokes. _Oh, this is going to be good_. She took the cloth bag from over the couch and placed it behind it. Then she walked over to the tool table, and connected the suit to the testing machine. In seconds, the information was displayed on the screen. The suit model she was wearing was rare, only other Tanks that worked for the company that hired her wore them. And apparently only Tanks with more than eight years of service had access to them. _Curious_.

That would explain why she had never seen this model and why it felt a bit strange to walk with it. It was certainly more flexible than other suits, but it also felt… different. But she couldn't point out what was weird, so she simply evaded that thought and continued. Everything seemed normal and fit. _All these years in the green mist are affecting you, Carrie._

She could still hear May typing on the other side. She knew that she shouldn’t speak until she spoke to her, saying that she was distracting her. Taking a deep breath, she started to walk towards the exit of the place. By the time she heard the doorbell again, the typing had stopped and a sigh was heard from the other side.

“Everything seems to be in order, however there are some readings that are a bit strange. It says here that the extraction wound is not yet healed. Is that right?" _Ha, I’ve see it coming._

"It may not be completely healed, but it's not like that matters inside the suit, it's not going to get infected."

"True, but please be careful. There are other data that are _off_ , but within normal parameters.”

"It must be because of the suit, it is a rare model." She had reached the entrance to the crater. Anxiety and expectation began to do their part, activating the adrenaline that began to run through her veins.

“I understand that this will be your last shipment. Congratulations. More than a hundred successful trips to Ground Zero will be hard to beat.” While May had said it with flattering intent, there was a bitter, _sad_ tone in her voice. This only accelerated her pulse a little more. Ten years listening to that woman behind the comms. Ten years she was accompanying her and seeing for her health. She knew that it was all part of the job, but there were always certain comments that only asked herself if maybe...

"You should deploy your gun, Carrie. Is not safe." Those words brought her back to reality. _Is not safe._

"Deploy W1." A few clicks were heard from behind her. Taking the released rifle, she approached the edge of the Ground. The first step was always the most difficult. You couldn’t go back through this same place, the exit on this side was one day away, and the one on the other side was three days away. Carrie took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She was almost never successful at it.

"Carrie." May's voice sounded in her ear, closer than ever. “It is just one more job. The last job. Please be careful." _Oh_

“You say it as if we weren't going to talk at night, May. Or are you already missing my sweet voice?” _Great Carrie, you are a genius_. At that point, jumping into Ground Zero without a suit sounded very tempting. _You’ve ruined it_. A small laugh was heard in her ear. _Oh_

"Maybe that's it. _Or_ maybe I want to keep my record of bringing entire Tanks back.” Carrie laughed too, the tension releasing a little. May had answered her joke, like many times before, but… what _if maybe?_

"May, can you promise me something?" the grip on her weapon tightened. May's voice came from the other side.

"I don’t like to make promises, I feel that it is an obligation and they cannot always be kept." Resignation began to flood her mind and sadness her heart. "But," _Oh?_ “I will make an exception for you, if possible, of course. Don’t push me." Hope. That's what that answer had given her. Swallowing her fear, she asked.

"If I come back, will you tell me your name?" The silence behind the communications was deafening. Never, not even when she first faced a mutant, had she felt such fear. _She can't tell you her name, you idiot. You'll get her in trouble._ Finally, after what seemed like hours, May replied.

"No." She expected it, but... that didn't stop it from hurting less.

"Sorry, it was a bad idea-"

"Carrie." May cleared her throat. "I'm not going to tell you my name **_if_** you come back. **_When_** you come back, I will tell you my name. I know you are coming back, so don't put conditions.” And for the first time in her entire career, she launched into the crater feeling like the world wasn’t so bad anymore, overwhelmed by the happiness she felt.

That feeling lasted five seconds. The happiest five seconds of her life she would say.

As soon as she plunged into the tainted mist, she waited for the typical reaction of her body activating the magnifications, allowing her to survive in that supremely hostile environment. But all she felt was agony. Her body was not reacting well to the augments. It was more like she was rejecting them. Usually, when she hit the bottom of the crater, she would normally have made a dramatic fall, her body powered by the augments and protected by the suit, but this time, she could barely fall without hitting her face to the ground. Alerts sounded in the suit and also in her ear, May's voice almost silenced by the noise and ringing in her ears.

“Carrie! What happened? Status report! Carrie!”

“The augments are not working. I-” She fell to her knees. She could feel the bile rising up her throat, she forced herself to swallow it back, since that would only make things worse. Every part of her body was in pain, but in the extraction wound a hell seemed to have broken loose, her organs screaming from the pain of being in that toxic and corrosive environment. "Sorry May." Without knowing how, she managed to speak one last time. "I… think I ruined your record."

"Carrie, shut up!" The concerned tone in her voice hurt more than anything that was happening to her body. _Sorry, May. I do not think I'll come back._ "The data doesn't make sense! The suit does not respond- ”

Communication began to falter. Among the little she heard, May's desperate voice was the only thing that mattered to her. Her body had gone from hellish agony to being completely numb, her head felt like cotton. She was looking at the ground. _At what point did I end up on the ground?_ Her vision become more and more darkened.

"May ... sorry."

And then, darkness finally claimed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come to say Hi! to [My Tumblr](https://corylion.tumblr.com/)


	2. Determination

“Carrie! Answer me!" May desperately typed commands into the suit, but it was useless. The suit signal was gone, the commands received no response. The suit's alarms kept ringing **. NO SIGNAL** appeared in the transmitter box of the suit. _No ... Carrie.._. She looked at the data on her screen, trying to understand what had just happened. The readings on the suit didn't make any sense, they went from being within normal ranges to being completely disabled. The augments data was also off the charts, going from standby to overload and then disabled. _Not possible, they should have been activated when entering Ground Zero_.

She kept looking at the data, but there was nothing. Nothing that could have warned her, nothing that could have prevented… Warm tears began to flow down her cheeks, the lump in her throat barely let her breathe and the pressure in her chest was unbearable. She tossed her headphones on the screen, freeing herself from the oppressive sound of the alarms, and was overwhelmed by the feeling of loss. It wasn't the first time she'd lost a Tank, and she knew it wouldn't be the last, but Carrie… _She is… she **was** special_. She had always been so careful with the suits, the augments, the routes to follow. _What went wrong?_ Frustration and anger began to displace the bitter sadness that overwhelmed her. _This is **not** going to end like this._

She wiped away the tears and put the headphones back on. The alarms were still ringing, so she silenced them. Something was wrong. It was not possible that everything had gotten out of control without reason. She refused to accept that Carrie had died from something as stupid as a suit or augmentation malfunction. She searched the files for the suit and its augments. The increases had the basic descriptions, nothing to connect them with the widespread failure that occurred with those of Carrie's body. She went on to check the features of the suit. The specs were weird. In some features they were top of the range, such as mobility and physical resistance, while others barely passed the minimum limit allowed, specifically the gas filtering characteristics and connectivity with the augments were the lowest that she had ever seen.

 _It’s as if it was designed to fail when entering Ground Zero._ But if so, how come she's never heard any other M.A. mention it? _Wait. When did this model come out?_ The production data for that suit model was missing, it just said what she had already read. _Suit made by Purify Team_. She had never heard of that company. However, the system had enough information to say that they only hired tanks with a high level of experience. _That means they have been hiring us for a long time. How could no one have commented on this?_ A feeling of dread formed in her stomach. _How many tanks have been through this? In some report it would have to-_

"M. A. 0363-MA, Tank Status Report 0370-CS” The computer's voice almost made her fall off the seat. She had not yet passed Carrie's status report to the system. The protocol required her to do it, so a team would be sent to collect the suit, the augments ... and the Tank’s body. _Carrie..._ She shook her head. No, she couldn't do it. If she did, she would lose the company data and the suit’s, she would be assigned to another Tank and there would be no way to continue the investigation. An idea formed in her mind. _In three days she would have reached the other side._ Three days, that was the time she would has. May would make it count. It was the least she could do.

"M. A. 0363-MA, Tank Status Report 0370-CS” rang again in her ears. She immediately started typing, fixing the first data received from the suit, when the information was within the parameters. The alarms went off. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she sent the report of the suit. Taking a deep breath, May replied, her voice completely neutral.

"Tank 0370-CS, on the way to Delta point, no problems."

"Receiving." The computer took time to analyze the report. The waiting time had never seemed so long. At first she thought it was anxiety. _Could the machine have noticed the counterfeit?_ No, that was impossible. It was for something they needed the M.A _._ The machine did not have direct access to their data. Three minutes passed, three stressful minutes, until the machine finally said. "Copied. Continue monitoring.” May was finally able to breathe. After what had just happened, she knew she had made the right decision. The computer shouldn't have taken so long to analyze the data. _Something really weird is happening._ And she was going to find out what it was. For the Tanks. For Carrie.

* * *

The first thing that came to her was the strange noises around her. Grunts, claws scraping the ground, screeches and wails from two different sources. Then there were the smells. Sweat, dirt, sulfur, _blood_. The latter unleashed her instincts, awakening her almost completely. She opened her eyes. Two different beings dueled before her, their shapes distorted by the mist that enveloped them. _Mutants_. Both grotesquely disturbed, they were probably fighting over the food they had just found. _She_.

Carrie tried to move. Instantly, hundreds of needles pierced her body, her muscles claiming for the sudden movement. She bit her tongue to stifle the scream that escaped her throat. The metallic taste spread through her mouth, and she had to fight the urge to spit to get rid of the bad taste. Slowly, ignoring the agony in her body, she began to crawl in the opposite direction to the source of the noises. A few meters away, her rifle was abandoned. Without taking her eyes off the creatures struggling in the haze, she reached out to reach it, but her perception seemed to be playing a trick on her. No matter how far she stretched, the rifle was even further away. _What the hell?_

A roar of victory rose in the mist and she knew what that meant. The triumphant mutant would go to claim its prize. Quickly, but without making a sound, she continued to crawl toward the weapon. The mutant's footsteps could be heard closer and closer. She reached out again and her hand finally felt the stiff frame of her rifle. The mutant's cry of anger reverberated in her ears. Carrie managed to turn in time to see the monster launch herself on top of her, exposing its only weak point. With quick reflexes and a steady pulse, she aimed and pulled the trigger.

Pounds of deadlift landed on top of her, shooting the throbbing pain out of her muscles again. Carrie continued to bite her tongue, to the point where she felt a part of it come off. She shouldn't scream. The mutants would not come close by firing shots, but by the agonized screams of a fallen animal. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed the contents of her mouth, blanking her mind to ignore her growing urge to vomit. She continued to breathe, slow and steady to decrease her pulse and think more clearly. _Focus Carrie_. First, get out from under the mutant.

"Activate: Augment S." The suit immediately started working sending the signal of her suit to the augments in her body. Carrie's muscles tensed and expanded, completely filling the suit. Ignoring the tingling of her skin, she pushed the beast away from her with ease, finally standing up. The tension in her muscles was beginning to be overwhelming. Between puffs of air, she commanded.

"Deactivate Augment S." Her muscles returned to their original size, leaving her momentarily shaky and breathless, and her body completely numb. Those were the pros and cons of the augments. On one hand, they allowed to face challenges beyond normal human capacity. But on the other hand, they consumed energy beyond comprehensibility. Even with her body numb, Carrie knew she couldn't stay there until her sensation and air were completely restored, the mutant's blood would soon attract others. Blood that she had on her too and that she needed to get rid of as soon as possible.

"Show Map." In the visor of her armor, the silhouette of the area was shown. She had fallen exactly at the entrance to Ground Zero, moving a few meters south. Howls were heard in the distance. _Oh come on, give me a break!_ Looking again at the map, she located the destination point for the night. It was the same route as always and the same goal too. Delta point. But first she had to check what the hell was happening to her. There were some buildings to the west, not far from where she was. They should be enough. The screams of the mutants began to grow louder. Carrie began to walk, first slowly, trotting, then running, feeling the claws of the mutants tear the ground beneath them, following her like the prey she was.

As she got close enough to the buildings, she could see that there was an open door. It was risky to sneak into a closed place, but the grunts behind her made her take the risk. She swallowed hard. _This is gonna hurt._

"Activate Augment A." Again, pain spread through her body, but this time, her veins seemed to be running with lava instead of blood. Her movements became faster and the world seemed to be in slow motion. _Five_. Skip the perimeter fence of the building. _Four_. Go through the rubble pile. _Three_. Pass the door. _Two_. Close the door behind it and obstruct it. _One_.

"Deactivate Augment A." She fell to the ground, the sound of the metal of her suit hitting the hard ground echoing throughout the construction. The growls that had been following her collided against the closed door of the building, and making sounds of frustration, the mutants withdrew.

Carrie began to breathe again. The world was spinning. Her body burned inside and froze on the outside. A layer of sweat had accumulated on her skin, cooling her, but it didn't lessen the hell in her veins or muscles _. Two augments in less than five minutes. New record huh?_ It would take a few hours for her to move again. The darkness of the place was partial, the cracks in the ceiling allowed the passage of a dim light. From what little she could see, it looked like she was in some kind of rather long entrance hall. Lockers were located on both sides of the hallway, one of them was now obstructing the front door, thanks to her. She tried to turn her head a little to keep looking around, but it was useless.

“ _Tank isn't the one who goes in the suit to **endure** Ground Zero. Tank is the one who endures the suit to **go in** the Ground Zero._” A slight smile spread across her face as she remembered those words _. I have to check what the hell happened._ She couldn’t assure what were the damages that she had. A small alarm went off in her suit, indicating her body's low energy levels _. I need to rest_. But, her instincts told her to fight with the heaviness of her eyelids. _No, it is not safe to sleep here._ Her vision was blurred; the floor was not so hard now. _If there was something that wanted to eat me, it would have gone out with all the noise I made_. She could afford to close her eyes. She still had to wait until she could move again, and that would take a few hours. Exhaling, she closed her eyes, immediately falling into a heavy dreamless rest.

The constant beeping of the alarm from her suit brought her back to reality. Her body had recovered enough energy from the increases that had taken it in the first place. _Ironies of life_. Remembering to move slowly this time, she sat down against the wall near her and started the much-needed check on the suit.

"Processing. Wait a moment." The voice in the suit kept repeating that over and over in the five-minute span of the checkup. While the machine was processing the data, Carrie was processing her own information.

 _What happened to the augments? Why did they fail to enter Ground Zero? How come I am still alive?_ Fragments of the last moments of consciousness during the augmentation failure flashed in front of her. In her ears, May's worried voice rang out. Her hand hit the visor in an attempt to rub her face. A sound of disgusted frustration came from her throat. _I need to let her know that I'm fine._ If May had followed protocol, she probably would have already passed the report of her… death. That meant that other Tanks would come to take the suit, augments, and her body. That would take approximately two days. There would be no use waiting. It was faster to continue towards her goal. Also, if she got to the Delta point, she could send May a message if she could get her suit to connect to the Tank network again. She sighed. _At least you already know where to go now._

“Process finished. Showing data.” In her visor a menu with four different options was exposed.

"State of the Suit." The first option shined and showed all the information of the suit. Carrie frowned. _This makes no sense._ All the information looked normal. _Completely_ normal. Even if at that time the suit was "fine", the data should also be showing the bug of a few hours ago. Carrie blinked several times, incredulous.

"Status of Augments." New information was displayed in the visor. Carrie's frown deepened. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. All in order. The recent use of the two augments that she used didn’t even appear in the data. A feeling of dread ran through her spine followed by the well-known fear building up in her stomach. The suit's sensors had to be damaged to be showing this data. And if the information she was reading was wrong, she might as well be doomed. In Ground Zero, the Tanks that crossed it did so to carry information quickly from one side to the other, and this was only achieved with the information they had to navigate in that land plagued with dangers. Now, she lacked information on the status of her work tool.

How could she trust the suit to withstand the trip? How would she know that the suit would never fail again? Shaking her head, she took a deep breath. _You are not a novice Carrie, you have moved for ten years in this field, you have used more than twenty suit models. It is not the first to be damaged. And if you come back…_ She chuckled. **_When_** _you come back, she will tell you her name._ That thought gave her the strength to open the next option on her menu.

"Tank Status." And for the first time since the data review began, she was not surprised. Muscles laden with lactic acid, a slight arrhythmia, a minor drop in blood sugar and a fever, courtesy of suit failures, overuse of augmentation, and the damn extraction wound on her back. _Well, all of that should be sorted out bit by bit throughout the day._ Augments should do their job, right? _At least I hope so._ She didn’t have many options. She would reach Delta point at nightfall, that already involved a lot of risk. The next day she could go to the closest exit from Ground Zero, and with that return home. The payment however good it was, it was not worth it if you were going to navigate without your M.A. and a decent suit recording all the information you owed.

 _Well, time to go._ The menu in her visor still showed a last option. _Video - guarantee_. A grimace of displeasure showed on her face. No, it wasn’t the moment to watch it. At the time she didn't have the stomach to do it. She _never_ had the stomach to check it. May always asked her to see her at least once, just to make sure they didn't do anything strange. Just for May’s request, she would check the videos, quickly and superficially, and only once. She knew that this time it was more necessary than ever, but ...

Debris from the outside of the building sounded as it slid to the ground a few steps outside. Her senses once again shot to alert. It wasn't just a group of footsteps, grunts accompanied the footsteps, as well as claws being dragged along the ground. _How-?_ She looked at her suit and cursed inside. The mutant's blood. She had attracted a pack. Sighing, she tightened her grip on her rifle and searched for another exit. _And if there is no other way_. She flipped a small switch on the gun. A red light on the trigger, a half smile was drawn on her face _. I'm not going to make it easy for them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come to say Hi! to [My Tumblr](https://corylion.tumblr.com/)


	3. Delta Point

The rhythmic sound of typing keys filled the cabin. The clock on her screen marked one hour before the next reporting step. The sound quickened. May had not stopped since morning, gathering as much information as she could about every detail regarding Purify Team and the jobs they were asking for. The data collected was not encouraging, nor was it very informative and the only thing she could clarify was… disturbing. She rubbed her forehead. The migraine was starting to take its toll. Taking off her headphones, she moved away from the keyboard a little and studied the information on her screens.

 _One hundred and thirty-five._ That was the number of Tanks that had been in the service of Purify. Little more than half of all the Tanks that have existed. The assigned work was always the same. Retrieve certain pre-war items from facilities in the center of the crater and take them to the other side, where the company works.

All of these Tanks were removed from the company after work for them. _I understand that the payment is very good._ Could it be that Carrie's case was isolated? She still couldn't find the reports from the other M.As _. Maybe Carrie was unlucky…_ _No, this was not unlucky. Why would they hide information if everything was in order?_ She closed her eyes. Everything in her head swirled, preventing her from thinking clearly. _Relax, you're thinking too much ..._

_"I can hear the gears in your head through the intercom." (Her tone as always, relaxed, trying to make everything sound like a joke.)_

_"And whose fault is that? I still can't believe you made it to the Omega point in time.” (And in one piece.)_

_"A mutant chasing you is an excellent motivator for extra exercise." (I can almost see you winking. You keep making jokes, like nothing important has happened. I can't answer you. I'm too tense to do it and your jokes don't help. You speak again, but this time your tone has completely changed. Your tone is serious, and I could even say that you sounded worried.)_

_"I assumed you would be concerned about the incident of this morning." (Oh, even you can be serious.)_

_“I didn't expect you to meet a mutant coming out of Sigma Point, that place is usually deserted. Much less did I expect communication to be cut off after hearing gunshots ...” (You're going to cost me my sanity, woman. Your voice now sounded concerned)_

_"I didn't want you to worry, I'm sorry. I'm fine. Don't worry, I’ll complete the mission on time. Your job won’t be compromised by my carelessness.” (My job? If the mission fails, I’d have a admonition and a new Tank to guide. But you...)_

_"Carrie..."_

_"Yes May?" (Your tone changed again, it was soft and docile. How can you express so much without doing it directly?)_

_"Just… shut up. Pass me your report.”_

_"As you command, May." (Now you sounded mischievous and complacent at the same time... You are an idiot, Carrie.)_

"M. A. 0363-MA, Tank status report 0370-CS” The voice of the machine brought her back to the present _. At what time-?_ Rubbing her face, she moved over to the keyboard again and checked the time. _I slept an hour!_ A precious hour wasted by a migraine that still refused to leave her alone. May began to alter certain Tank status data to make it look real. Sugar level, heart rate, blood pressure. After spending so many years working with her, May was able to name absolutely all of her data without error, every feature, every variation based on the time of day and the number of days in Ground Zero. She knew all of them. Before the machine asked for the report again, May responded.

“Tank 0370-CS, at Delta point, without inconvenience. Proceeding on standby at night.”

"Receiving." Like the last time, the machine took time to analyze the data in the report. May waited patiently until the machine stopped and confirmed sending the information. As soon as the signal for the machine's presence went off, May rushed to the computer, continuing the investigation _. I need the information from the MAs. Maybe I could..._ her fingers stopped, the binary code window was open on the computer next to the command window.

Hacking. Obtaining the information this way felt… bad, wrong. She looked at the screen for a few minutes. _No. I must continue, there must be something else behind this_. The hacking process was going to be long and tedious, but she had already started it. May looked at the clock and sped up her typing. There was not much time left before the server shut down and she had to leave for mandatorily for up to eight hours. The security code was reset every 24 hours. If she was going to break the security code, it was now or never, and she wouldn't let the opportunity slip away.

* * *

_Shit, it had to be a whole pack._ Carrie had managed to locate herself on the top floor, which was almost completely in ruins, except for a few walls that now served as cover. Five mutants were trying to enter the building, three of them watched while the other two tried to break the entrance. _The door won’t last long._ She noticed the mutants in the back. In the middle was a beast that was larger than the rest. _The alpha_. If the alpha fell, the others should disperse.

"Open compartment L2." From her left leg, she pulled out a modification for the barrel of her weapon, quickly installing it. Now, she would have only one chance. She took a deep breath, lowering her heart rate and aiming at the alpha's head, which was ... strangely still. Carrie frowned. _This is no time to think about mutant behavior, Carrie_. She inhaled and as she exhaled, she pressed the trigger. The sound reverberated throughout the area. Roars were heard on the ground. Carrie swallowed dry. _Shit_. The bullet had ricocheted off the alpha's skull.

The alpha looked in the direction where the shot came from, fixing his multiple eyes on the paralyzed Tank on the roof. Roaring, he pushed the other two mutants aside, heading toward the building. The roar shook Carrie, who immediately ran in the opposite direction, toward the stairs leading to the first floor. It was not the first time that she faced an alpha, in a melee she could never win. That is why that modification had been brought to the barrel of the rifle. _It didn't work!_ Usually a direct shot to the skull would have been enough to break it, and if there was another mutant behind it, it probably would have destroyed it as well. But this mutant was different _. I have to-_

The blow came unexpectedly. Carrie was shot toward the wall, crashing into it and falling into the hole on the floor, reaching the first floor with a loud impact against the ground. Fighting the stun and trying to get the air back to her lungs, Carrie turned immediately, weapon in hand. The beast fell on top of her. The creaking of the suit triggered alerts on the visor. The slightest air in her lungs escaped, clouding her vision. Training and muscle memory took over, lifting the rifle straight into the mutant's stomach, emptying the magazine into it. The monster fell limp on top of her, completely covering her with his massive form.

 _Great, is this going to be a habit?_ The weight was crushing her, the air was getting harder and harder to get, she didn't need to check her suit to know that the pain she felt was from her ribs jigsaw from the beast landing on top of them. But she knew she shouldn't move. The noise of the door breaking and claws crawling across the floor echoed throughout the building.

 _Breathe Carrie, don't despair._ Roars filled the air. Carrie could hear footsteps and claws circling around her. The alpha's blood was completely bathing her. The other mutants roared at each other and after what seemed like hours, the noises drifted away. Consciousness had almost left Carrie, the air impossible to reach her lungs. _Get out of here, now!_

"Activate Augment S." Between the tiredness and the size of the mutant on top of her, she could feel her muscles tearing at the force exerted on them, but she finally managed to get out from under the monster. Turning off the augment, Carrie lay on the floor. She couldn't stay there. The pack of this alpha would drift away, but its blood would attract others. _There is no other way._ "Release Med-pack."

The feeling of relief was immediate. Painkillers, vasoconstrictors, antibiotics, and other drugs she had no idea about were released into her blood. It was not a "cure" for what she had, but it took away the pain. _At least that's it's working_. Med-packs were scarce, usually having access to one per mission. Being a veteran, she had managed to take two to her missions since her eighth year of service. A small luxury that she could afford. _Money well invested_ , as May said.

Sighing with a smile on her face, she got up from the ground and looked at the beast before her. The mutants themselves were considerable in size, and the alphas were usually the largest among them. But the one in front of her was _huge_ , easily almost double the size of the standard mutants. Carrie approached the beast's head. Where the bullet had hit the mutant's skin it had risen, exposing ... its skull? Carrie rubbed the wound, wiping away the blood on top, leaving the bone fully exposed.

Her heartbeat seemed to stop for a few seconds as did her breathing. _What the hell?_ Her train brain was going a thousand/hour, what she was seeing made no sense at all. Shakily, she drew back, tripping over one of the mutant's paws. On the ground, she kept crawling until she hit the wall. Holding her head in her hands, she tried to calm down. _Breathe, breathe damn it!_

Seconds were minutes until she finally managed to control her breathing and her train of thought. Swallowing, she approached the mutant's head again. The light from the hole in the ceiling perfectly illuminated what was under his skin.

"Take photo." The soft click of the shutter on her viewfinder camera sounded and she immediately looked away. She couldn't believe what she had seen _. It doesn't make sense ... How did **that** get there?_ But this was not the time to ask those questions. She had to go. A roar could be heard in the distance, with others echoing behind it. _Time to leave._

She picked up her gun and went up to the second floor. On the roof she had seen what appeared to be a small tank of water. She opened the lid. _Lucky_. Although she hated the idea of wasting all that resource, she jumped into the tank. Immediately, the water turned a nauseating shade of purple, taking away the coloration on top of the suit as well as the pestilence that it carried. Soaked, Carrie emerged from the tank and out of the building, rushing toward the Delta point. She emptied her mind, focusing solely on her progress and any changes around her. The last thing she wanted was to have another encounter with mutants, not after what she just saw _. Focus! Keep moving forward!_

The path was relatively clear, but she never trusted appearances. She was still a few hours on the way to her goal, she couldn't be distracted. Little by little, the light of the day was dissipating, giving rise to a tenuous penumbra that anticipated the fall of the night on her. She quickened her pace. If there was anything worse than Ground Zero, that was Ground Zero at _night_. It was an hour before dusk, if she didn't get to the Delta point ... _She might as well have died to the alpha._

Delta Point was one of the largest outposts at Ground Zero, making its pinpoint relatively easy. However, darkness was beginning to envelop Ground Zero when Carrie located Delta point. She started running. The mutants' roars were gone as soon as the light had given way. The beings that came out at night were worse than any mutant she had ever seen. The flashlight on her visor activated. The night was on top of her. Despair began to build up in her guts, making her run as fast as her legs would allow. But it was not enough.

Behind her, more specifically, _below her_ , the sound of something breaking the surface of the earth was getting closer. _Shit, they're coming_. The entrance to Delta Point was in front of her. _Only a few meters more…_ the earth in front of her began to sink, as if a hole was below.

"Activate Augment A!" With boiling blood, she jumped, as the ground beneath her disappeared, and in its place the giant jaws of an albino mutant appeared. _Five_. She fell a couple of meters from the entrance. _Four_. Rising quickly, she reached the door. _Three_. She entered the authentication code, releasing the door seal. _Two_. She opened the door, propelled by the knock of the mutant behind her, but still holding the door. _One_. She closed the door, which was immediately sealed.

"Deactivate Augment A." The sensation of lava running through her veins diminished, but the weariness that came with using that particular augment continued. Her ears were ringing with alarms from the suit, indicating the damage she had received to her back and the little energy she had left _. I will have time to review later._ She looked around. The small disinfection room began to fill with the sterilizer gas. Her visor showed her the time. If she wanted to get through to May that night, she had to move **now**. But that task proved to be more difficult than it appeared.

Her legs seemed lead, not wanting to move, no doubt a side effect of using that augment. Holding onto the wall, she walked to the door that opened as soon as the disinfection gas was removed. Every step she took triggered her pain receptors. The A augment had been designed for critical moments, in which the use of this meant the difference between life and death. Although that increase had already saved her life twice that day, it didn’t mean that the side effect bothered her less _. Just a little more, you're almost there._

From pain, she went to numbness. As soon as she reached the door, her legs refused to continue obeying and she ended up on the ground, her brain fighting the heaviness of her eyelids as she began to crawl towards the intercom, feeling the forces gradually abandon her. The intercom was not far away, but the distance became almost impossible to overcome. The echo of May's voice was the only thing pushing her to the limit of her ability. Her hand trembled as she entered the code on the intercom keypad, giving thanks for successfully placing the code on the first try.

But apparently Carrie wasn't so lucky. " **NO SIGNAL** " announced the mechanical voice of the intercom, causing her to check the time on her display. Her heart squeezed. All the ordeal and haste to get there soon were meaningless now. It had taken an hour to move from the entrance to the intercom. And with that regret on her, she simply surrenders to the darkness that claimed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come to say Hi! to [My Tumblr](https://corylion.tumblr.com/)


	4. Revelations (I)

_Dropping Root Kit… Tip tap tip tap._ **Three hours** _. Getting Root Access Tip tap tip tap_. **Two hours**. _Installing Back Door… Tip tap tip tap._ **One hour ...** May's heart was pounding in her ears as her gaze was fixed on the process developing on her computer screen. **Thirty minutes**. _Process at Fifty-five percent_. **Fifteen minutes**. _Process at Eighty percent_. **Ten minutes**. _Ninety percent_. **Five.** _Ninety-six._ **Four.** _Ninety-seven_. **Three.** _Ninety-eight_. **Two**. _Ninety-nine._ **One.**

"M. A. 0363-MA, End of the Day. Report at first hour tomorrow morning. Have a good night."

The machine finished talking and the computer shut down. May took her datapad. _This is the_ _Moment of truth._ She connected both machines and looked for the path to the Back Door that she had installed. _If everything went correctly, access should be in the most vulnerable section, which would be... **here**._ And with the correct code input, she was inside.

The computer turned on again. Thanks to the Root Kit, the company shouldn’t know that she was there, which she was able to confirm when she saw that the signal from her machine indicated "NO SIGNAL" in the corner. Taking a deep breath, she continued to enter codes on her datapad, which now displayed the "WAIT" sign on the screen. Sighing, she let herself slip into her chair. _This will take a while_. Beneath the datapad's waiting sign, the “5%” figure was displayed. _It seems that releasing Root Access will take a while._

Setting the machine aside, she rubbed her forehead. The migraine had not subsided, making looking at the screen painful, the light from it only accentuated the problem. Without realizing it, she began to nod. _I will only rest my eyes for a few moments, a long night is coming_.

_"Why are you still here?" Carrie's question wasn’t surprising. Since we “met” two days ago, she hasn't stopped trying to get me to leave her alone as quickly as possible. She doesn't seem to trust me as her M.A. "Your work schedule is over."_

_"I'm not leaving, Tank 037. Not while you're in this situation." A sound of disgust is heard through the intercom. What is her problem? I take a deep breath. No one should spend the night alone in Ground Zero, much less a rookie tank. "We can take advantage of this time to get to know each other better, don't you think?" A mocking laugh is heard._

_"It will be a long night for you then, I can't be talking, it would get the attention of the-"_

_“Mutants, I know. You are not the first Tank I lead. I can tell you about the experiences of other Tanks that I have guided, I bet you can take advantage of the information.” Silence, awkward silence. After a couple of minutes, you finally respond._

_"Okay. Speak then.”_

_All night I talked nonstop. You just limited yourself to muttering monosyllables with a certain interest every time the subject interested you. Miraculously the night passed without any altercation. At dawn, I had learned from you and you had learned from the experiences I shared with you. The company system had allowed me to continue communication since you were in an unusual place. At dawn, there was the warning to close my machine's operating system._

_"I must retire. I expect a full report in the evening. And please, this time follow the map.”_

_"I… fine." To my surprise, your voice didn't sound as irritated as ever, but maybe it could be the bad night you just spent out in the open, but I definitely didn't expect you to answer what you said next. "Thank you ... for spending the night talking to me." A smile appeared on my face._

_“Take care Tank 037. M. A. out.”_

The constant beep of the datapad woke the tired M. A. The screen of the machine presented a folder full of files called “M. A. Testimonies. " Approaching the screen, she stretched out her fingers and took a deep breath.

"I'm in."

Hours passed. Each report she read coincided with the next. _It’s impossible_. One hundred and thirty-five Tanks had worked for the Purify Team, and one hundred and thirty-five Tanks had been declared Lost in the Field on their last mission for that company. They all had the same mission: Retrieve artifacts from the ruins north of Gamma Point.

Her stomach was squeezing more and more. Five reports described the same situation Carrie had found herself in. Entry to Ground Zero, augments and suit failing, loss of communication and inability to connect back. The reports reflected the despair of the M.A., especially with the ones that apparently that trip would had been their last job.

 _Just like what happened to Carrie._ She started checking the Tanks data. Her stomach flipped. Everything, absolutely all the data matched. Except for one detail. The other five Tanks that matched Carrie's situation were men. Among the other Tanks were both men and women. _A casuality?_ She couldn't be sure of that, she needed more data.

She rubbed her temples. _All those Tanks .... How come nobody-?_ Dread settled in her stomach, she silenced what almost became a scream. The answer was clear as day. _Why encrypt information that should be available to all M.A.? Why keep sending Tanks on that mission? Unless…_

"The company works with Purify Team. Not just for collecting artifacts, but for something else.” She looked at her screen, the reports of the five Tanks were open. "They have all been sent to their death. But why? What would the company gain-?”

A light began to blink on her monitor. _What-?_ May was frozen watching the signal that had been activated _. It cannot be…Would it be possible?_ With trembling hands, she activated the connection to the signal, turning on the green light that indicated she was in line with whoever was sending the signal. Feeling her eyes water and a lump form in her throat, she picked up her headphones and put them back on, pressing them tightly against her ears, held the microphone close to her mouth, which was dry with anxiety.

Her reasoning fought against her heart. _She cannot be alive. But if not she, who would have know my connection code?_ There was only one way to know who was on the other side. _Please... let it be she._

* * *

The awakening process has never been so difficult. All of her muscles were in constant limbo between numbness and thundering pain. Without moving, Carrie opened her eyes, her eyelids heavy as lead. The visor on her helmet told her that not enough hours had passed for the recovery of her body, the augments had caused much damage for a few hours to fix it.

 _Uh, anyway, I don't think I can get up._ She sighed, preparing to go back to sleep, as soon as she noticed a detail. Her visor had a small green light blinking, "O2 AVAILABLE" Then she remembered, focusing her eyes on those around her. _Right, I'm inside the Delta point. I could…_ Awkwardly moving her numb arms, she managed to remove the only locks removable of the suit. Except for the safety locks of the helmet, the suit was completely sealed. A breath of fresh air filled her lungs as she removed the helmet from her head. The air cleared her mind, fully awakening her after a few minutes.

The only room at Delta Point was the Transmission Room, where the intercom connected directly to the base of the company where she worked. The room had a huge control center whose console was sealed, out of the reach of anyone's hands _or claws_. In a corner, a pair of bunk beds that didn't really detract her from the appeal of continuing sleeping on the floor. Which is where Carrie was. And apparently where she had spent the night. Complaining a little, she slowly started to sit up and move, coming to sit on one of the bunks.

 _Ok, this is no better than the floor, but it will do._ In this way she could remain seated leaning against the wall on the side of the bunk. With the helmet in her hands, she took a deep breath. May's words echoed in her head. It was necessary, and she had already put it off too long. _Well, better move forward with the inevitable_. Opening a small hatch, she removed the memory from the helmet and inserted it into the reader on her arm. The options menu screen was immediately projected from her left wrist. She swallowed hard, to no avail trying to get over the bad taste in her mouth.

"Play ... Video - Warranty."

The video started running on the screen. On it, she was able to see the standard extraction procedure - implementation of augments. The video was given to the Tanks so that they could see that they hadn’t removed any extra organs. It was always the kidney, an organ that filters blood and, therefore, is the most suitable to change it for the augment filter to tolerate the changes that come with wearing the suit, as well as supporting Ground Zero.

 _Ughhhh_. She couldn't help but look away after a while. Not because of the blood, or because of the procedure itself. But because of the transformation that every Tank must undergo to do their job, to be able to unite properly with the suit. When she was off duty, she could almost ignore it, when she worked, she had more important things to think about. But watching the videos... she couldn't ignore it.

Along her spine, an exo-spine was nailed to it disfiguring her back. While the video focused primarily on removing her kidney, the sight of her back had always displeased her. That had happened to her since she started working, she didn't know exactly why it caused her so much discomfort but something deep in her mind tells her something was wrong with it.

Shaking her head, she returned her gaze to the procedure developed in the video. Then, a small flash in the video caught her attention. _Wait a second_.

"Go back five seconds." The video was rewound, and she focused her gaze back on the video. Again, the flash reappeared. At first she could have sworn it was a camera glitch, but upon checking well, the truth terrified her. One of the surgeons was on Carrie's right side, but just after the flash... _How?_ The same surgeon appeared one step further to the left. From the angle of the camera, it might have gone unnoticed, but the Tank's trained eyes caught the slight variation. Wide-eyed, still not believing what she was seeing, she continued running the video. Every few minutes, a glitch flashed on the screen, something or someone reappeared in different places, barely noticeable, but the changes were there. The video ended unexpectedly, with surgeons closing the incision in her back, discussing things Carrie couldn't understand due to the quality of the video. For a few minutes she stood as she was, looking at the screen on which nothing was playing anymore, trying to make sense of what she had seen. Or maybe, just trying to accept the irrefutable facts.

_They altered the video_. That phrase, so short, yet so heavy, had lodged in the Tank's mind. Her guarantee had just become her uncertainty, the cuts to the video were made in such a way that there was no way of knowing what had been put in or taken out of her body. A single question fluttered in her head. _What have they done to me?_

Her eyes fell on her helmet on her legs. The company logo decorated the center of the helmet's forehead, along with the Veteran Tank's logo. Swallowing, her voice was raspy as she gave the following instruction to her suit. "Project last photograph."

Holding back a scream and closing her eyes as soon as they saw the image, she threw her helmet, landing abruptly on the other side of the room. Her breathing quickened, starting to get dizzy from lack of oxygen. The suit's alarms started ringing, but she couldn't hear them, her ears were deafened by the pounding of her heart, which felt more and more tight in her chest. Dropping sideways on the bunk, her brain struggled to control her body.

The next few minutes were agonizing, every fiber of her subconscious saturating her thought with a dread like she had never felt before. The photograph was firmly fixed in her eyes. _What's going on? This makes no sense._ The lump that had formed in her throat kept her sobs from escaping her. A voice echoed in her head _. "When you come back, I'll tell you."_ The thought of her was more painful than the pressure on her chest. _I’ll never hear her voice again, won’t I?_

 _Loneliness._ The biggest difficulty that every Tank faced was not the Ground Zero mutants, it was being trapped in their own head and avoiding not getting lost in it. Days and days without speaking, with the mind always on the edge, staying alert to any variation in the environment or signal that could indicate the presence of mutants. That state of constant tension and stress, was the reason why Tanks almost never exceeded five years of service, much less reaching eight or ten years. _I’m alone, I’ve always been._

 _“You are not alone. Do you know why Tanks are assigned a human M.A.? A machine could do the same as us, but only by speaking to humans, people can keep being people. Some M.A. forget it, but don't worry, I'll take care of you.”_ May's voice rang again in her head, but this time, easing her pain a little with that memory. Gradually her breathing slowed, her thoughts began to clear, the pressure on her chest eased.

When she was finally able to get up, she stood up, and ignoring the pain in her body, she picked up her helmet and placed it on the control panel. Then she raised her left arm and looked at the projected image. On the "skull" of the mutant, printed as a tattoo, were the logo of the company for which she worked... and a Veteran Tank's logo. . Her thoughts sped up again.

 _What the hell is the company doing? What did it have to do with the mutants? Did the other Tanks know about this? To begin with, what is **this**? ...Did the M.A.’s knew?_ Her stomach squeezed. _Did... **May** know about this? **No** , that was impossible. _Fighting the sentiment she just discarded from returning to it, she began to enter the intercom transmission code. _Please, let it be someone. This needs to be known_.

The machine began transmitting the wait tone, showing “NO SIGNAL” on the screen. The light blinked several times _. Come on, someone, whoever it is, answer it!_ Then the light went out, and the words "NO SIGNAL" disappeared. She waited, but no sound come from the intercom. **_Damn it!_** Carrie clenched her fists in anger, her jaw clenched. **_Could something go well in this hell?!_** She raised her arms and dropped them to the intercom with all that was left of her strength. But before she could hit the machine, a voice came out of the intercom, causing her legs to lose stability and her eyes to get wet again..

"...Carrie?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come to say Hi! to [My Tumblr](https://corylion.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> Come to say Hi! to [My Tumblr](https://corylion.tumblr.com/)


End file.
